The Other Biology Thread (Not Birds, Cats, Dogs, Insects)

[LFC]

They're releasing individuals of the critically endangered Pygmy Hog, the world's smallest species of pig, back into the wild. I'm surprised nobody has been trying to breed these for the pet trade.

Twelve pygmy hogs (Porcu salvania) were released back into northeast India last week as part of a conservation program made to resurrect the species from near-extinction in the 1960s. The pigs remain extremely rare in the wild, with an estimated 250 persevering out there.

The hogs are the smallest species of pig, standing at 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) tall as adults and weighing in around 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms). That makes them about the size of Scottish Terriers. They have the piggish snouts you might expect and are mottled brown in color, making them look like a capybara with a boar’s head. The pigs are pretty open-minded omnivores, eating everything from roots and tubers to insects and small rodents.

The animals were feared extinct in the 1960s following the extensive expansion of farmland in the pig’s native grassland habitat in northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan. The pigs’ continued survival was confirmed in 1971, but by the 1990s, its range was relegated to a few stretches of Manas National Park in the Indian state of Assam. At an estimated 250, their population also makes them among the rarest pigs in the world.

[LFC]

Increased ship traffic in the Arctic due to global warming and ice melt may cause serious problems for Narwhals, one of the most iconic animals in the world IMHO.

Narwhals, one of Earth’s most novel animals, may also be the most threatened by the thawing of the Arctic.

The thick ice that covers the Arctic Ocean is shrinking more in the summers and rebounding less in the winters. As a result, more ships are setting course across the top of the world.

That means some of the distinctive marine mammals that live in the Arctic, like walruses, polar bears and Beluga whales, are more likely to have close encounters with humans. And no species may be most at risk than the narwhal—a small whale with a big tusk, resembling a kind of aquatic unicorn.

“As passages open up, ships move through. They move though key areas that whales use every year, annually and predictably,” said Kristin Laidre, a marine biologist at the University of Washington. That could push them out of key areas, raise the odds of collisions and oil spills—and throw off their senses with noise.

“Narwhals use sound for pretty much every life function, to find prey and communicate and navigate,” said Laidre, who has studied the unique animals for about 18 years. “Any additional shipping introduces disturbances in the Arctic soundscape.”

[LFC]

Looks like we really didn't fall that far from our evolutionary tree.

Over 200 puppies have been massacred in the Indian village of Lavool in alleged "revenge" killings, after the dogs supposedly killed an infant monkey previously. Two simians were found within the village to be capturing the puppies and taking them to high places, where they would either starve or fall to their deaths. The perpetrators have since been captured and relocated, India's ANI news reports.

While media outlets have reported the monkeys were killing in retaliation for the death of an infant, locals have stated that there has been no such death in the last few months, reports News18. The number of puppies dead has also been disputed, with a local resident suggesting upwards of 200, while a local ranger states only three to four puppies have actually been killed. Regardless, the monkeys were certainly acting out of character, with even people being injured whilst running from them. One 8-year-old schoolchild was among those injured.

"Monkeys generally don't attack human beings but people are afraid. Some people were injured in the past few days while running away from these monkeys. However, no incident of any monkey bite was reported in this village,” said Range Forest Officer Amol Munde, to national media outlet PTI.

Stealing puppies is not a rare act for these monkeys – in the area, monkeys have been known to kidnap the pups and take them to high places, where they live, to "take care of them". Unfortunately for the dogs, monkeys are terrible owners and do not understand the food and drink requirements of their new pets, who either starve or try to escape, falling to the ground.

“Such incidents had been happening over the last three months. These two monkeys come to our village. They take away puppies with them to the roof of houses or at any other place at height,” said villager Radhakishan Sonawane.

“At such height, these puppies don’t get any food or water. Hence they died naturally many times. But sometimes they fell from a height and died. Over 200 puppies had lost their lives in our village,"

[LFC]

You can tell what animals are in a zoo by sampling the DNA in the air.

Researchers were able to identify 74 species of animals by looking for DNA in air samples collected at two zoos. The experiment shows that free-floating DNA could be used to track wild animals, including endangered or invasive species, without needing to observe them directly.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has shaken up how animal populations can be monitored, managed, and conserved. Instead of having to find physical evidence of animals—scales, fur, feces, or sightings—researchers can rely on the microscopic bits of genetic material that fall off creatures as they move around their environment. Merely taking a soil or water sample can give researchers a sense of an entire ecosystem.

But researchers have wondered whether air could provide the same level of information as soil and water. Last year, a UK-based team detected naked mole rat DNA by sampling air from the rodents’ burrows in a lab setting. (They also detected human DNA, presumably from the researchers who worked in the lab.) But proving the method’s success in open air was a different beast. To test the technique further, two research teams used a setting that included unmistakeable subjects: zoos in England and Denmark. Their two papers are published today in Current Biology.

“Both studies have not only pushed the boundaries for what can be done with eDNA but also demonstrated a novel and non-invasive tool to complement existing methods for monitoring terrestrial animals—something of great importance to inform conservation efforts,” said Christine Lynggaard, a geneticist at the University of Copenhagen, in an email to Gizmodo. “By having a new method, we can hopefully help monitoring invasive species, and even endangered species that are sometimes difficult to monitor due to their low population density.”

[goldenvalley]

Bear shopsat 7/11...worth a look for a laugh.  www.sacbee.com/news/california/article265854496.html

[LFC]

Invasive, non-native Green Iguanas are causing power outages in Florida. When it gets chilly they'll natural gravitate to that nice, warm power transmission equipment.

After a brutal hurricane season, people across Florida have grown freshly accustomed to power outages. But at least four times in the last two months, Lake Worth Beach residents have been plunged into darkness thanks to a very different kind of culprit: iguanas.

“Some answer has to be devised to thwart these scaly chompers!” Susannah Amygdalitsis, one of the approximately 1,400 residents affected by an iguana-tripped power outage earlier this month, told The Daily Beast.

She noted it was the second time she dealt with a reptile-related blackout.

“Hoping for really cold weather–and a team to scoop up all the fallen felons,” she added, referring to iguanas’ tendency to fall out of trees when temperatures drop.

This year alone, residents have been subjected to at least 16 outages triggered by the reptile—which is considered an invasive species in the state of Florida—according to city spokesperson Ben Kerr. That number actually represents a downtick from the recent past: in 2020, the city saw 28 outages caused by lizards. In 2021, Lake Worth saw 20 iguana-triggered blackouts.

Still, interviews with residents suggest the city is littered with the massive green reptiles, which grow up to six feet long with a row of spikes on their neck, back, and tail. And experts say climate change could help explain the surge–with disturbing implications for the fate of infrastructure in Florida and beyond.

“Climate change is likely contributing to the increase in iguana-triggered power outages because temperatures are staying warmer on average through the winter months,” Anna Savage, an associate professor in the University of Central Florida’s Department of Biology, told The Daily Beast. “Milder winters and warmer temperatures throughout the year… allow the iguanas in Florida to remain more active, even in winter, when they used to be slowed down or even frozen.

[LFC]

This is incredible.

[LFC]

This is funny. It's like a rodent amusement park!

[andydp]

Jan 4, 2023 16:08:53 GMT LFC said:

This is funny. It's like a rodent amusement park!

Maybe we could send one to the House, while they're "debating".

[andydp]

From the “Quite Interesting” Web Site.

‘Misdirected amplexus’ is the term for male frogs gripping onto and trying to mate with inappropriate partners: a frog from another species, an inanimate object, a fish.

I think “misdirected amplexus” would be a great name for a death metal satanic leaning band.